Colorado wildfires drive Red Cross to aid thousands of evacuees

The American Red Cross has opened shelters and a disaster assistance center to support people displaced by three major Colorado wildfires – the Willow Fire near Leadville, the Gold Mountain Fire near Ouray, and the Aspen Acres Fire, the state’s seventh‑largest blaze. The organization served 125 dinner meals at a school shelter in Buena Vista, distributed N95 masks, and provided health‑service support for smoky conditions. Its Pueblo center logged 648 visitors, with about 50 people staying across shelters in Pueblo and Florence, while a Ridgway shelter for the Gold Mountain Fire has accommodated up to 11 individuals on some nights.

Red Cross officials emphasized the need for volunteers to help with meal preparation, shelter logistics and outreach, and they asked for financial contributions to sustain operations. Local businesses, such as the Ouray Meat & Cheese Market, reported a 70% decline in summer sales due to the fires, underscoring broader economic strain on the community.